The invisible children have become one of the biggest overnight controversies in the world. Many may not know the horrors of what the invisible children actually are. In the last forty eight hours, through a thirty minute you tube video the world has been exposed to Joseph Kony and his terror on the children of Uganda. Kony has used religious manipulation on poverty stricken children to join his Army, the Lord’s Resistance Army, and kill their family members and force young girls into sex slavery. A group of humanitarians started a group called Invisible Children, led by Jason Russell used their film making abilities and the heart breaking story of one Ugandan child to call upon the efforts of the world to pull together for the arrest of Joseph Kony through this thirty minute you tube video. They call on everyone to donate money to their nonprofit organization and make Kony famous, not for his killings but for his arrest. The group is asking everyone on April twentieth to cover every major city in hundreds of thousands. The group of humanitarians has framed their case in public as a cry for help, using personal stories from Ugandan children and having these children travel with them and tell their stories publically, along with posting their stories on you tube. They say they are a nonprofit organization and send all the donated money to the efforts of the Uganda military in support of arresting Joseph Kony. They make the public feel as if you are a bad person for not understanding the conflict through the testimonies of the children and almost emotionally force donations. The major argument they make for this movement is by comparing this situation to the holocaust and claiming that the difference in this modern day holocaust is that everyone can now know about this through the internet. The Invisible Children group has been targeting big name celebrities to put public pressure on politicians to take action.
The invisible Children group makes a very compelling effort for a very compelling cause, however not everyone feels this way about the current war in Uganda. Many believe that Invisible Children is a fraudulent group trying to scam money out of U.S. citizens. They question where the money is going and the actual intentions of the Uganda military. Many people believe the Uganda military performs acts on their people just as violent as Joseph Kony and his child Army. It has been pointed in opposing arguments that the U.S. has attempted to arrest Kony before, and it led to Kony creating even more violent and widespread attacks on churches during events like Christmas Eve. Concerning the money issue, people question the nonprofit side considering the leaders of Invisible Children made close to Ninety thousand dollars last year. The people who have been arguing against the Invisible Children group have been using feedback to explain to people why they should not donate money to this cause when they are asked to by giving factual evidence about things such as money.
Josh,
ReplyDeleteThe blog I read just before your's also takes this same issue as the topic. It is timely and important, and like the previous blog, you locate the controvery in the invisible children organization that is trying to address this tragedy. (I am not suggesting you change your issue--it is fine if two students use the same topic.) One thing I would suggest is that you investigate what alternatives might be available for people who want to help. Are there organizations other than the IC who work to help in the Ugandan situation?
I look forward to reading additional posts, Josh.
Pam